The Coalition of Trade Unions say they want the ministry of labour and employment to release a gazette enforcing the 2020/21 minimum wages.
The unions are adamant that the minimum wage gazette was supposed to have been released in April.
National Clothing and Textile and Allied Workers Union (NACTWU) secretary general Sam Mokhele says they have been taken aback by the suspension of the minimum wages increment for 2020-2021 gazette.
Mokhele insists that they appreciate the fact that the world is under fire from Covid19 and Lesotho is also in the same misery, especially now that the country has two confirmed cases.
He, however, emphasized that trade unions, as representatives of workers, are not happy with the reappointment of Keketso Rantṧo as labour and employment minister because in her entire tenure, she has done for them.
“The has not been any increment when it comes to minimum wages over the years which is something that disappoints us a lot. She is always on the side of the employers but never on ours. What concerns us the most is she has not been able to introduce a law that introduces the social security scheme.
“Another concern of ours is the M800 that the government has given the factory workers. Former prime minister Thomas Thabane announced that factory workers would receive M800 as a Covid-19 relief subsidy during lock down. The first badge of workers has been paid and we are very thankful for that, but this was done in the absence of trade unions and it had challenges; for example, there other workers who have not received their money yet while others received it way after the promised date.”
Mokhele indicated that they want the workers to receive the money for three months as the government had initially promised. He said it should be a continuing fund as the workers are not working full months and the money will be of great help.
He said they had also asked the government to force employers to set up their own relief fund to help the factory workers, but that appears to have fallen on deaf ears as the government have not done so.
These sentiments were echoed by Construction, Mining and Quarrying Allied Workers Union (CMQ) secretary general Robert Mokhahlane, who said they want the new government to change the minister of labour, to continue with the M800 relief fund for factory workers and to release the minimum wage gazette.
“We are giving them until Friday May 29. They know what factory workers are capable of if their requests are not met. We have tried to arrange a meeting with them before, but they did not listen; so, we give them up to Friday,” Likhang said.
